Fantastic riding my fav away place to ride outside the lakes – brutal steep climbs – deceptive re lowish heights – enjoy if you have a geared bike….

paul

hi guys

i have used 717s for years – I have never totalled one – put a few minor dents in them i admit but i really rate them – easy to build and true and eyeletted.

I am 11 stone and ride a HT and FS fairly lightly – a set of 717s did a 65 mile tour of the dales / ingleborough DH and howgills recently = no worries at all.

cheers

paul

M970s x2 individual pedals – lockut sheared – weel used / serviced – seen it happen to other riders too,,,

paul

poor rant – poor taste

suggust we all live and let live – be nice out on the trail – it confuses the miserable types – plus ROW TRAILS are for everyone

want to go silly fast race / go a trailcentre…

paul

Hi guys,

I would suggest adding a tick tool ( my fave tom o twister ) to a ‘med kit’ – have used this far more than the proper contents of my med kit… saline washes and gloves are also useful.

2 bad times in the last 2 years have required my medkit – first was when our collie got torn open from hitting a hidden fence post in the snow – wound dressing and human and dog clothing stopped that bleeding = took me 2 hours to carry her out over my shoulders – 15 stitches by the expensive vets… made me value the free nhs i assure you…

Last time I used my med kit on a human was on the mrs who had an easy spill on gravel at mabie – she shredded her arm and elbow – deep tears which later required 4 days in A+E to clean and fix. She has arm pads now…

Having the med kit was of benefit to her – A) it hid the damage from her and I am sure stopped her going into worse shock – B) it stopped the bleeding which was significant – seeing it pour down her arm into a puddle wasnt nice. Out came the big wound dressings and bandages. 5 hrs later I ( not her! )went into shock and collapsed in the hospital….. Not a fun day. Taught me a lot.

It was comforting at the time to be able to do something and the docs were under the impression the paramedics had bandaged her up and not just me – I have doctor / paramedic friends who have taught me the basics and the respect that you need the right help and that you can only do so much with what you carry in a mtn first aid kit.

Now I was dam glad I had that kit..

I have tape / knife / bandages / large wound dressings – anti allergy tabs / ibruprofen – survival bag / whistle / saline washes / eye pad – you can improvise a lot as well with tubes / clothing. I see it as a patch you up to carry on / reassurance for casualty. I try and have a phone and other people in the group to get proper help etc !

I have hurt myself on local trails more than when exploring !

be safe

paul

Got parental cancer here in the family – was just confirmed this week… difficult times

paul

Tom o twister – 4 quid – DONT vaseline / burn it etc – can use a cotton lasso or tweezers BUT I would suggest a vet – doictors are very hit n miss re ticks

I have had lyme tests too – ticks arent to be taken lightly

http://www.bada.org.uk and lyme disease action are worthy reads on the web

paul

second stevomcd – i am an ex ski bum – had a lot of boards – spend the cash on boots / bindings and get a cheapish plank – it wont last that long….

boards sized by weight – rider + kit ! i ride normal camber and even when learning i rarely caught an edge… try and demo some planks

i like drake bindings and arbor / nitro / ride / k2 boards. i personally found burton a bit mleh and i saw more cracked burton heel cups on bindings then any other brand. i think burton = specialised….

enjoy!

paul

totally agree with TJ – more stuff to try and sell you – wonder when people will realise this?

the rider is the most important bit !

cynic mode!

paul

so sad – makes me despair reading about stuff like this – wish the law / society would change its attitudes

paul

Another bb7 fan here – dont fade on long dhs either…. robust and field repairable too. Superb.

paul

drop me a mail

I have toured off road there extensively and willing to pass info on…

snowpaul at hotmail co uk

paul

Excellent video – one of my fave riding spots ! Doing it this week too!

Puts the trail centres to shame !

paul

Agree with Crikey

plus Trail centres are a bonus to the generally awesome trails we have thanks to our ROW network – granted its not as good as scotlands access but its mileage ( however small compared to footpath ) is huge vs trail centre mileage.

People are def riding too big a bike for a lot of trails here – then they whinge re how easy they are or they moan about the weight and get fatigued as they arent fit enough for long all dayers! I ride HT/FS but I enjoy the skill of a HT more but FS allows me more comfort and speed but its still not 100% me…

I have ridden all over the country on our BW/RUPPS/BOATS and had some epic adventures – solo and in groups. All it takes is some effort – buy an OS map – learn to plan / read it and go and have fun. I love plotting routes and its part of the fun – even getting lost etc has its moments.

In fact the internet has made it so much easier as in the past you had to go on the ground so to speak to see what the track was like – now you can ask on here and get a myriad of answers !!

A trail centre makes it easy for those who are time pressured or lack the hill skills – but you only get these skills by going out there. I have ridden all of them bar dalby – some great tracks BUT I would rather ride a lot of natural trails in the lakes / powys over the best of what say the 7stanes or coed y brenin has…

I have cracked a thomson post and and so has my racing snake friend who weighs 62kg – I weigh 72kg – we have used seatpost mounted racks on them so maybe that caused the failure…

however I would agree thomson is over rated – nice products but they do have a lifespan….

paul

hi there,

I would do the basic checks – seatpost moves up / down ok – check for play in headset and that the gears work ok and if you can get a chain checker tool to see how worn the chain is… spin wheels and check disc rotors for any rub / check pads and tyres

Then waggle wheels to see if theres any play in bearings / any play may be the wheel or the shock bush / linkages – test for that by taking wheels out and then move the linkages etc – you will be able to feel if the pivots are tight / worn..

check the shocks work and no obvious damage or movement – inquire into service history – re forks ask when last serviced / any receipts etc – maybe budget for a service or replace the odd part… see if the shock and fork accept air ok…

do visual checks on the frame for any damage / cracks – pay attention to headtube area – see if any bad chainsuck – check dearaileur hanger and the condition of the jockey wheels = gives a good idea of wear – make sure pedals arent wrecked… go with your gut feeling re sale

cheers

paul

Many thanks – it appears the damper thread was ever so slightly rough and binding on the foot nut ( not visible to the eye ) – I chased it with a steel bolt and reformed the threads = job done – went on easily them – used a sim method to mildreds suggestion – cheers

paul

Get well soon

no idea re A+E policies but i would be a bit peeved myself but i reckon its better to be alive – excuse to buy new stuff!

chin up

paul

Hi jake !

be good to get this sorted – anyone got any trail gems?

paul

I now use DT240s – lovely hubs – however you need a silly tool to service them is the only drawback – King are pretty but over rated – bad design for the rear and again silly tools and faff to adjust…my hopes are / weredecent – not sure of the pro 2s longevity vs the old XCs… no experience of royce hubs – their bbs are nice and last ages

paul

its a great area to ride – basically get an os map – follow bws for smoother stuff – find the byways for more rocky stuff – I LOVE exmoor area – email me if you want some pointers

snowpaul at hotmail co uk

GPS is great if you use it with a real map. I use mine for ‘you are here ‘ moments and it helps win map arguements – I dont think I would ever use it entirely on its own – maybe on a road bike tour – I do like a map and ‘ reading ‘ the map and not just blindly following a gps..

paul

me too

I am a BIG thudbuster fan !!

They are awesome on a hardtail if your type of riding is many hours in the saddle riding long distance real xc trails – they are reliable and really do take the sting out of a hardtail be it steel or ti…

I have a full sus which is much faster on techy trails at speed BUT my hardtail with a thudbuster is my pref bike for when lugging a bob trailer or doing a multi day yha / boethie trip carrying kit.

try one – they work well when you get used to them – I find a hardtail without one very unfriendly now… they take the small bumps out and make make the big ones tolerable. I would happily tour on one – I wouldnt tour my full suss

paul

the 5ml is just for lubrication

I noticed a lot when I was up there – its not a great advert for mtb as a sport along with discarded energy gels / drinks etc…

Could be a bit tough in places – but I have done worse with my BOB in canada – can always push it ! Go for it!

paul

Got some ones poking out in shropshire – started last weekend

paul

Crook peak / knings wood area would be my choice or up on burrington etc BUT as a sensible warning watch for ticks. I use a solo tent now vs an open bivy big because of that.

I admit I have tick paranoia now but most trips to somerset I / dog gets a tick or 3…

paul

I wondered if it was the pack straps too – but I use it a fair bit in similar situations – the bibs were ditched really as I wanted less material on my back getting hot n sweaty – the weight saving was minimal and tongue in check

Pack was heavy re kit for a 2 day self supported ride in wales with an overnight stop = heavy pack with all my food and water plus a filter to get water off the land…

was fun – apart from the chafe !

paul

Hi

hi dave – waves !

Its no longer made so 2nd hand option? – I had a newer version than daves above – his is a ‘proper merlin as he likes to say ‘ and mine was a 2004… I cracked the headtube – repaired and 3 years later the seat tube / tope tube cracked – repaired – cracked… now retired

I know of others that have cracked at the seat tube / top tube. To be fair I rode the hell out of it – snowdon / cadair idris / helvellyn / ingleborough and dam near every bridleway in somerset / powys / shropshire / lakes… I would like another but I dont think its that durable – I am only 72 kg but I did long big hill multi day rides with a pack on it quite regularly…

Great race / quick bike but dont believe the hype – TI does break – eventually….

paul

Nice vid,

I recognise the trails well – Long Mynd is superb on a day like that – there are some great trails there if you know where to ride – can always add the Stiperstones to Eastridge and back for a good day out !

paul

Tom O’Twisters rock – I have a set in my backpack – a set in my wallet and a set in my van….

I REALLY hate ticks – please support BADA and lets get the information out there.

Hairy legs / dogs = allows for more ‘ questing ‘ ticks to be picked up in my opinion….

I am avoiding shorts for as long as possible and I coat my socks / boots / gaiters / bike tights etc with repellent.

I would rather be soaked in sweat from hiking / biking than get another infection and having to deal with a disbelieving GP and workplace – trust me its not worth it. I think more publicity is needed – our american friends on here can probably relate to this a lot more and the surrounding political / financial ramifications.

We were picking ticks up down on exmoor in december 2011…. last year we got ticks in somerset / mid / south / north wales – lakes – isle of mull…

paul

i loved my merlin ti – got 7 hard years out of it – it snapped twice

paul

my old merlin ti frame cracked in the same place – not unusual either…

ti doesnt last as long as the hype suggests

paul

I found it very tough going on an 80mm hardtail!!! more hike a bike for me

enjoy !

paul

hey up,

the bearings are top class i agree – BUT i bet your steerer tube has a nice mark on it from the top bearing race munching into it ! all my king headsets did that….

paul

turner 5 spot???

hi rob,

err scarily yes – is this a known issue? 20mm forks are new territory for me !

paul

haha,

have a look at cwm rhayader for trails – the riding is epic and superb down there if you can read a map – if you want some trail advice email me – plenty of nice trails round rhayader

paul

snowpaul at homail co uk